This invention relates generally to footwear and more particularly to a sole for footwear having spikes that are easily retracted and extended.
The provision of spikes or cleats or the like to footwear has useful application in many situations. Spiked shoes or boots are used to improve footing on surfaces made slippery by ice, snow or other bad weather conditions as well as on difficult terrain such as steep slopes. Spiked footwear is also used in many athletic activities such as golf, baseball, hiking, rock climbing and so on. While useful in enhancing traction in a variety of situations, conventional spiked footwear has a disadvantage in that the spikes cannot be removed when the wearer moves onto other surfaces. Since the spikes are attached to the bottom of the sole, they are in constant contact with the surface being walked upon, even for surfaces that do not require the improved traction provided by the spikes. In the case of hard surfaces such as certain floors, parking lots, sidewalks, etc., this causes excessive wear of the spikes requiring frequent replacement. Furthermore, the exposed spikes can cause substantial damage to delicate surfaces such as wood floors, carpeting and putting greens of golf courses.
In response to this dilemma, many shoes having spikes that can be extended when needed and retracted when walking on hard and/or easily damaged surfaces have been proposed. However, many of these shoes provide complicated mechanisms for extending and retracting the spikes. Such mechanisms tend to be relatively expensive, susceptible to failure and bulky. Many prior art designs use hand operated controls located somewhere on the shoe requiring the wearer to bend over, or even take the shoe off, in order to retract or extend the spikes.
Accordingly, there is a need for all-terrain footwear that not only can be worn on surfaces where enhanced traction is needed, but can be worn on hard or easily damaged surfaces where enhanced traction is not needed. There is a further need for such footwear having spikes that can be easily extended or retracted without having to bend over to manipulate a knob or lever on the footwear. There is also a need for a retractable spike system that does not require a complicated and/or expensive mechanism to control the spikes.